


Show Business

by Alexa_Piper



Series: The Notebook - Unrelated Danny Phantom Oneshots from 2013 to 2019 [8]
Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Angst, Blood Blossoms (Danny Phantom), Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, backdated fic, post-PP
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-19
Updated: 2014-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:22:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27210394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alexa_Piper/pseuds/Alexa_Piper
Summary: Sometimes having ghost powers isn't an advantage...
Series: The Notebook - Unrelated Danny Phantom Oneshots from 2013 to 2019 [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1986457
Kudos: 5





	Show Business

The man shifted in discomfort, grimacing as ectocuffs were removed from his wrists. "I'm not a ghost! Daniel Fenton is Phantom, trust me – _he's_ the one you want!"

The agent raised an eyebrow above his shades. "Whatever you say," he drawled, slamming the cell door shut.

Freakshow could hear him laughing as he travelled down the hall.

Letting loose a frustrated shriek, the prisoner threw himself down on the bed. That _brat_ had wiped those agents' memories of everything, and instilled in them the idea that Phantom had nothing to do with the Fenton family.

Protected by first the thermos and then ghost-proof restraints, the one-time ruler of reality had been protected from this mental reconstruction. At first, he had been prodded and poked by countless needles as they tried to figure him out. Eventually, the scientists came to the conclusion that he was one hundred per cent human. However, Freakshow still wasn't permitted to leave – he had seen too much of what went on inside the GIW secret laboratories, and they would never release him.

Even when Phantom saved the world from the disasteroid, somehow he had managed to keep his secret to himself! Although Freakshow was fairly certain that the kid's parents and world leaders now knew Phantom's human identity, the Guys in White, along with most of the world, were as painfully oblivious as ever.

Most of the time, the prisoner was left to brood in his quarters. This was nothing more than a glorified prison cell – a soft bed was in place of a cot, and there was access to an en suite bathroom complete with running hot water, but it was still essentially a cell.

That damned halfa had ruined everything! Freakshow beat his fists against the pillow, whining as frustrated tears slipped down his cheeks.

He was never going to see the sun again, and it was all thanks to that little brat.

…

Lydia moved cautiously, slipping through the still-open Masters portal and immediately darting behind a cabinet.

Phantom had yet to close Vlad's portal after the Fruitloop was exiled to space. The ghosts ignored it most of the time, preferring to exacerbate the halfa by using his family's gateway into the Ghost Zone. Keeping Vlad's portal had additional benefits, as well – its continuous output of spectral energy left Amity Park's atmosphere buzzing, and the delighted hero found that this, coupled with a daily dose of human emotion, satisfied his spectral hunger rather nicely.

However, the boy had become used to leaving Vlad's portal open constantly. Thus, when he had left for a conference with world leaders the previous morning, he had forgotten to lock it up.

Lydia gave the abandoned lab a cursory sweep, noting that Plasmius' belongings had been left untouched. This made her job a lot easier – instead of breaking into Fentonworks and trying to evade the boy's hunter parents, she could simply grab the Plasmius Maximus from where it sat on its shelf in one of the weapon cabinets.

Allowing herself a small smile, Lydia phased out of the building, angling herself in the direction of the top-secret building that one of her tattoos had found the previous week.

…

The Guys in White never kept ghosts in their low-security facility, so they didn't bother wasting money on fortifying the property against spectral activity. This was a place to store redundant equipment, failed inventions, and the occasional human prisoner.

It was a lonely, quiet place, hidden deep in the Rockies. Her tattoos had taken over a year to find the place, but now Lydia could finally rescue him.

Clutching the Plasmius Maximus close, the ghost approached the venue with caution, sending tattoos ahead to scout for any technology that affected spectral activity. She frowned when they returned, somewhat surprised by the revelation that there was nothing to stop her from phasing in and taking what she wanted.

She moved forwards, pressing through the wall that one of her tattoos indicated. Sure enough, there he was.

Lydia leaned down, brushing a hand over the sleeping man's brow. The contact jolted him into wakefulness, and Freakshow bolted into a sitting position, swearing through the hand that she had clapped over his mouth.

He stilled as soon as he realised.

"Lydia!" the man choked, pulling the spectre into an embrace.

She pulled away. "Listen to me," the ghost hissed.

His lip quivered. "What, aren't you here to let me out?"

She slammed her fists into the mattress on either side of him. "The Reality Gauntlet was only part of a suit of armour. I'll free you on the proviso that you use it to bring me back to life as soon as you get it! There are other ghosts that you can enslave, so just fulfil your oath to me for once instead of trying to think up reasons to keep me as your personal spectral lackey!"

"Lydia…" The man swallowed. "I'm sorry. I got carried away last time, didn't I? I promise, as soon as I can, I'll bring you back to life."

"And we can get married, like we were supposed to before my accident?"

He inclined his head. "Of course we can."

She smiled before phasing him through the wall, heading back in the direction of Amity Park and the waiting Ghost Zone.

…

They entered through Plasmius' portal without any problems, and Lydia angled herself in the direction of the Dark Zone. This was a section of the Ghost Zone where most ghosts never ventured; it had once been a kingdom of behemoths, or so the legends stated, and anything valuable that might be in there simply wasn't worth the risk.

There _were_ behemoths in there, most of them far larger than the creature that had locked horns with Vlad. Each time, all it took was a quick jab with the Plasmius Maximus, and the creatures were sent plunging downwards as they were stripped of the ability to remain floating.

It didn't take long to find the Cave of Wonders. Freakshow remained glued to Lydia's side as they entered, looking around in awe at the assortment of unidentifiable treasures that lined the cave's wall.

After a moment of searching, there it was – a suit of armour studded with gems, tucked into the back corner. It almost seemed like an afterthought, and the human grinned; once he had ensured his dominion over all, he would come back here and plunder this cave of every last treasure. For now, all he would take was the suit.

It fitted over his form snugly, and the man's mouth twisted into a broken smile. "Finally," he breathed, observing himself in a mirror. "I'll rid the world of that Phantom brat, and then it will be ours to rule!"

Lydia lifted a scroll from where it was tucked into the corner that the armour had occupied. Unrolling the brittle paper, she grinned. "Darling, look! Here are the activation sequences for each piece! The sword acts like your sceptre did, enslaving the will of any creature, ghost _or_ human; the breastplate has the ability to make anyone you want ageless and immortal, just with a thought; the boots allow you to rule over time itself… Oh, the gauntlet! _Both_ gauntlets were reality gauntlets!" She dragged her eyes away from the paper, surveying the man before her with a wicked grin.

Freakshow grinned back, pressing the inlaid gems in the glove. "I think it's time for you to breathe again," he announced, surrounding his love with a blast of gold light.

…

Danny collapsed at the kitchen table, burying his face in his hands with a groan.

"Tough day?" Maddie asked from the stove.

"Mmph," the halfa grunted, tilting his head forwards to rest his chin on his arms. "You'd swear that those world leaders are a bunch of children fighting in the playground, judging from their behaviour."

Maddie stirred the soup, biting back a smile. "What was the conference about?"

"You're not going to believe this," Danny huffed, "but today's entire fit of squabbling was all over the question as to whether Vlad's worldwide company should continue under new management or if it should be disbanded. Since it's got major branches all over the world, and manufactures a lot of important weapons technology, an official conference with world leaders was needed."

"Why were you needed?" the huntress asked, placing a cup of ectoplasm in front of her exhausted boy.

Danny muttered his thanks and downed the beverage in one go. "Well, Vlad has no heirs, and it was decided by every single country's leader that since I'm the only other halfa on the planet that somehow _I'm_ the heir to all of his assets. Of course, that means that _I_ have to clean up a lot of the Fruitloop's messes…"

Unfamiliar laughter from the lab caused both hunters to stiffen. "My ghost sense didn't go off!" Danny insisted when Maddie sent him an incredulous look.

Footsteps sounded on the steps, and the halfa froze as a familiar figure emerged. "Freakshow?!" he cried, leaping into the air and transforming into Phantom. "What's with the armour?"

The man smirked, holding his sword aloft and sending a blast of crimson light at the teen.

Phantom gasped, a red sheen glinting across his eyes. "What did you do?!" he demanded in a voice that shook.

Freakshow laughed. "Land, boy, and extinguish that silly ectoblast in your hand."

Danny yelped in surprise as his body obeyed, the soft white glow that emanated from his limbs turning a brilliant shade of red.

"Very good, ghost boy. No talking, now. Oh, and you're not allowed to attack anyone unless I say so."

"What the _hell_ have you done to him?!" Maddie growled as Danny grasped at his head, sinking to his knees with a pained sound.

The huntress' demand turned to a cry of surprised pain as the sword was pointed at her, crimson light enveloping her body.

"You, my dear, are to allow Lydia here to guide you out onto the street. Use your mobile to call those ridiculous reporters once you're out there, and tell them to come at once."

"Danny!" Maddie cried, but could do nothing to stop herself from following Freakshow's orders.

"Now," the ringmaster sneered, turning to Danny. "Let's go outside, hm? I believe that Lydia and your mother are already attracting the attention of the press. They're remarkably prompt when it comes to spectres, after all."

Danny looked up from his kneeling position, and it was obvious that he strained against the sword's power with everything he had. Occasionally the red glow surrounding his form would dim, but with a wave of the sword it returned, brighter than ever. After a couple of minutes, the teen clutched at his core with a piercing scream, unable to overcome the ancient power binding him.

"Turn human," Freakshow commanded, watching with sick satisfaction as the boy did as he was bid. "Good boy. Now, get up, and come outside with me."

…

While Danny had spent the last few minutes on his knees and struggling to break free, Lance Thunder and his camera crew had arrived. By the time the teen emerged from the building with the armoured man, the cameras were already rolling.

Freakshow grinned. "Ah, yes, lovely timing. You're here to film a ghost fight?"

Thunder shifted on his feet. "Well, w-we're supposed to film as many as we can, and Maddie called us and said to come over…" he quailed under the man's unsettling smile, falling over his own feet in the process.

Freakshow had an audience. Excellent; the show could finally begin.

"Oh, there's only one ghost here," the ringmaster announced, "and I've taken to liberty of revealing him to you!"

"Don't you dare!" Maddie screamed, but shut up when Freakshow told her to be silent.

Flourishing his hands, and twisted man bowed to the cameras. "Many of you will not believe me, but the Fenton child here just so happens to be a ghost. Fortunately, I now have him under my control. Daniel, change forms and tell the lovely people who you are."

Danny tried to stop it, he really did. The rings washed over him anyway, leaving a terrified Phantom in their wake. "I'm Danny Phantom," he announced in a voice that shook.

"Now, it is my duty as an upstanding American citizen to rid the world of this filthy spectre," Freakshow announced. "Bear with me for a moment…" Tapping his heels together, the man used the boots to summon items from the past. There was a flash of light, and Freakshow was clutching a bushel of blossoms in his arms.

Danny backpedalled, eyes impossibly wide as he fled in the direction of the house. They were already burning him, his core recoiling at the close proximity of such horrible things.

"Halt!" Freakshow demanded, and the halfa stilled, turning to face the man with dread clear on his glowing features.

The ringmaster turned side-on, ensuring that the camera still caught everything. "Danny Phantom, I hereby exorcise you!" he announced, draping the blood blossoms over the boy's shoulders and wrapping them tenderly around his throat.

Danny's wrenching scream had Maddie and the camera crew rushing forwards to his aid. Freakshow stilled them with a wave of his sword and a quiet command to be still, and he stepped out of the way, giving the camera a full shot of the ghost writhing on the pavement.

Danny was tearing at the flowers, but his fingers seemed to fuse to them, _melting_ until he could no longer draw his hands away from his throat. " _Mum!_ "

Maddie, bound by Freakshow's orders, could only watch silently as her child's body began to jerk in a seizure. Tears flowed down her cheeks, and a sizzling sound came from Danny's body as ectoplasm burned. Tendrils of green vapour streamed from the melting child, and his screams slowly quieted as the twitching limbs stilled and fell limp.


End file.
